Ready Player Two: Oculus Go is a Compelling Product for Families

Oculus Go, the company's first standalone HMD, is available for $199 on Amazon, Newegg, and Best Buy.

New Go-accessible platforms include Oculus Rooms, Venues and TV.

Go has the best resolution for an Oculus product at 2560 x 1440, better than most headsets on the market.

Go will be the first Oculus product available for Chinese consumers. Xiaomi will release a Chinese version of the headset this year, the Mi VR Standalone.

Our analysis

Oculus Go is the first truly accessible VR headset on the market. At $199 without the need of corresponding hardware, Go offers a compelling VR experience for the general consumer. Yes, Go is not the best Oculus (or VR) has to offer, but Go is not for the early adopters, the avid gamers, or the VR industry insiders. It's for the family.

The headset is also an argument against VR being an isolating experience. While watching video content is isolating, Go will have features that will be more social for a family environment. In the hardware itself, the built-in speakers are on the head strap close to the ears, but far enough away where the user could hear the environment they are in. The user will also soon be able to screencast the Go screen to smart TVs or a streaming device such as Apple TV or Google Chromecast. The two features will help enable the user to share their experience with others in the room, unlike the Gear VR.

Facebook/Oculus have put a lot of effort into making Go one of the most appealing options for the casual VR consumer. The screen resolution is one of the best on the consumer market, having a higher resolution than Oculus Rift or Sony PlayStation VR. Although this will be a benefit for any VR experience, this will be most noticeable in VR videos where the screen door effect is most apparent.

While gamers and tech enthusiasts may be disappointed in its capabilities- wanting a faster refresh rate, better controllers, or more tracking - Go will fit the bill for consumers that are still getting comfortable with VR.